Posted on 04/21/2012 3:09:35 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A man whose Australian Cattle Dog Cisco was shot dead by a Texas police officer responding to a 911 call at a wrong address is asking for improvements to how authorities handle animals they encounter during such investigations.
Michael Paxton said he was playing with his 7-year-old dog in his backyard in Austin on a “quiet” Saturday when an officer showed up in his driveway. His dog, who ran out barking, was dead in seconds, he said. “I told the officer, you know, don’t shoot my dog cause I knew the dog was going to run forward towards us,” Paxton, a 40-year-old lab tech, told msnbc.com. “He (Cisco) ran to the officer’s feet; the officer shot him and killed him.” Advertise | AdChoices
“I was panicked, traumatized,” he said, noting that Cisco -- who he said has never attacked anyone -- was like his child. “It’s a very painful loss for me.”
The policeman had been responding to a call about a man holding a woman against her will and fighting out front at the address, Sgt. David Daniels, a police spokesman, told msnbc.com. But the pair didn’t live there and were not on the scene when the officer arrived, he said. That was not known when the officer reached Paxton’s home, Daniels said, adding that police did eventually find the pair, who lived a few doors down.
“It’s unfortunate that these two particular individuals were fighting in front ... of that location, but that was the location that was provided to the officer,” he said. From a recording made at the scene, and played on a local affiliate, the officer can be heard yelling, “Show me your hands! Show me your hands! Hey, get your dog!” and then a shot is heard.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.msnbc.msn.com ...
ML/NJ
This is happening waaaay too much lately it seems. I hope the guy sues.
This police business is getting way out of hand. There are too many laws and too many cops, and our freedom is being strangled to death.
Any fracking storm trooper shoots my dog and he’s going to pay, one way or another, sooner or later, he’s going to pay.
Cops develop a very jaded cynical view of their fellow citizens. They believe everyone is bad and breaking the law somehow. Their attitude when they bust, or bust a cap in, the wrong guy is, “He may have been innocent this time but I know he’s dirty”. The first time I saw a SWAT team with their identity’s completely shielded I didn’t want to believe it was happening in America. Cops don’t help themselves either when they band together and close ranks to protect one of their own that was clearly in the wrong, and it happens a lot. At one time I respected and trusted most cops, now I consider any of them as potential enemies.
Any challenge to an Obama employee’s authority is a potential two week vacation with pay. Those 50,000,000 pistol rounds are gathering dust.
A new policy in police departments should be no dog is shot until he actually has his teeth in the officer's leg. That would stop this BS in it's tracks. When cops shoot a human there must be evidence that an attack either occurred or was about to, such as the perp having a gun or knife or firing shots or physically attacking the officer, etc. When they shoot a dog all they have to do is claim the dog attack with no proof required.
Does the officer have a family dog? How would he take to a fireman responding to the wrong house axing it?
Clearly not a man who ought to be a police officer, a coward.
A “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality is not what we want people we authorized to use deadly force to have.
Observing no unusual activity the policeman should have exercised better judgement and investigated before pulling his weapon. He was called to cool down a situation not escalate the potential for violence and mayhem. Clearly this is a man that is not up to the challenges of his profession.
Australian Cattle Dogs are small dogs that don’t pose a threat other than as a ankle nipper. They are however fearless and determined which serves them well herding cattle and sheep.
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